At CES 2019, CTA announced the result of 2019 International Innovation Scorecard. A total of 16 countries were chosen as innovation champions, and South Korea was not one of them.

There were 28 indicators across 14
categories to determine the condition of the environment for innovation. Other
items that were viewed for judgment are economic growth and social progress and
the ability to suggest strategies that other countries can follow to achieve
similar outcomes.

CTA has categorized the countries into four
tiers: Innovation Champion, Innovation Leader, Innovation Adopters, and Modest
Innovators. The 16 counties that were chosen as Innovation Champions are in the
top tier. These countries had outstanding scores on most of the categories, and
this resulted in high composite scores.

Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CTA
said, "These countries are world-class leaders in
growing innovation," and "When it comes to technology and policy, they value
disruptive innovators. To be leaders in innovation, nations must drop
protectionist rules and end barriers that limit them from creating the next
great startups that will change the world for the better."

The most trending categories for 2019 were
R&D investment, resilience, broadband speed, self-driving vehicles, and
unicorns, domestic companies valued at USD 1 billion or more. Other notable
categories include sharing economic policies, drone regulations, and the
ability of the country to withstand and recover from disasters.
Compared to the United States, the host country of
CES and one of the 16 countries chosen as Innovation Champions, South Korea,
ranking at second-tier Innovation Leader, scored especially low in diversity,
unicorns, and short-term rentals. Overall, South Korea scored F on ridesharing
and D on short-term rentals, suggesting South Korea's conservatism and
closemindedness.